Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1887-05-05
URANoLOGY FOR MAJ.

The phases of the Moon for May are: Full
Moon, It'll, 9.0l u. M; last quarter, l4th,
3.l7 p, M; new Moon, 22d, 6.O5 p. M; first !
quarter a0lh, O.tg 8, N.
III Glf On the nrer'na Vi fhe 4th the
vi yiii raas vgrY algz4sf n r Gamma
virgins. Inis i'll ordinary Telescopes Is
very pretty double star, the components
of which are very nearly equal In
hrtlliancy (about Sd magnitude) and
are separated by an interval OF
as silver white and pale yellow, respect
lively and adds: "Struve thought them alter |
nately variable In brightness, with possible |
period Of at least several years. Humboldt |
suggested slow aXtRl rotation Ia each.
Fletcher, white, yellow, colors fixed, mag
nitude5 alternately variable, 4, 40. Period
under 200 years. Herschell, l43; Hind, 14l
Thiele, 1856; but none satisfactory. This
wonderful pair has been widening ever
since they closed up out of all telescope
reach In 1886 Except at DOrpat, where S43
| still showed elongation), and very mod
| crate instrument will now suffice Cor them"
/ The period referred to is that In which
| thesetw0 brilliant suns, each doubtless with
| its train of attendant planets, revolve
| around their common centre of attraction.
On the morning of the 23d there will be a
daylight oceultation of the first magnitude
star Aldebaran, beginning at IA and end
ing at 6.05 a. m.
The Moon will be in conjunction with
Uranus on the 4th at 6.32 p. m, planet %
5Sm. south; with Jupiter, 9th, 3,04 q. M,
planet 80 lam south with Mars, 22d, 2.05
a. M, planet 81 lin. north; with Mercury,
22d, 80 a. M, planet A. 46m. north; with
Neptune, 22d, 9.2l a. an M planet 8 26m IN;
80 Ism. north, and with Saturn, Goth, 1872
a. M, planet q 45m. north.
Mercury opens the month as morning
planet, but passes superior conjunction
with the sun and becomes evening planet
on the morning Of May 9th. On his way
to elongation he passes Mars and Neptune
! the former on the 2lst, at the close distance
? OF 2S minutes, and the latter on the 2Sd, al
II 36m. distance. These planetary con
] functions are too near the Sun for observa
) | ton.
Venus, the queen OF the evening sky
attains by the close OF the month to abou
' one-half of the maximum brilliancy tina
will be- hers In mld-August. The apparen
y diameter Of her disc increases In the mean
. time from 49, seconds on May LIST to 1
:, seconds Oh May 3lst. Starting from DO
tween the horns Of Taurus, she crosses thu
\ milky way and to the eastern side o
ID Gemlni by June, passing % lon. to tn
north of Saturn on May 3Oth.
u Mars Is too close to the Sun for observR
l. ton. He passed conjunction with ths
iuminary on April cath, and Is now nomi
nally morning planet.
/
>r April goth, and will be very we'll placed 70
ID observation throughout May. Herises nov
at 5.55 p. m. and some two hours earlier
Y, month hence. fair telescope will shol
a. the eclpses, occultatlons and translts Of hi
N satellites, one or more Of which phenomen
nc may be looked Tor on an average, ever
of alternate night during the month.
~ Saturn Is getting low In the west an
" will soon bid the evening skies OF tn
be locality good-by until the fall months.
n. Uranus is well situated and, as stated la
month, can be seen without optical aid by
lu moderately keen eye on any fine moonle
nO night. The only difficulty lies In KNOWN
Il Just exactly where to look for him, approx
gu lnately midway between Eta and Splca VI
t's ginls.
m Neptune renches conjunction with IL
- Sun on tho 18Th and becomes n mornli
3 q planet His conjunction with Mercury h
,ry been noted above. On the 9th he Will
In conjunction with dnrs, and II AIM,
III. the south Of that planet, II will be not
ing that Neptune, Mars and Mercury are stri
~ lag close together from the 2lst TO the 27t
's' May is not generally very promisi
one month for meteors, but several small figl
nm known as the Lyrids, Coronids and Aqu
tids may be looked for. Prof. Richard
ing Proctor discourses very entertainingly
in these yisitants in the May number Of
t.. Popular Science Monthly, setting forth {
'hS' plcitiy his theory regarding their orie
-, the objections urged against the variC
" opinions which have been expressed
d in schlaparelli, Tschermak, Meunier ,Daubr
,ara and others, respecting this difficult subje
At the same time ne gives
lich fullest credit to Schiaparelll for 81
;sns now established theory that mete
!, are closely connected with CONF
hlai and the probable theory that comets are
reality flights Of meteors, though Ii
origin In our system may not be that VIII
Schiaparelli has assigned to them" To
into the details Of Professor Proct
article would require too much space,
.ClL those Interested In the subject must be
snto forred to the magazine In which his art
S6S az appears. Briefly, however, he assumes
4 for all the planets OF the solar system v
once sun-like bodies, varying much In
ANY as they do now, capable, like the Sur
~ ejecting small masses Of matter from I
VINO Interior with velocity sufficient to CT
alize such matter forever away from them.
their earth therefore, according to this hyp
with esis, may at some stage OF Its existence
~. regarded as the generator Of meteor ill
MN whose orbits are proportional In extern
some the propulsiye,en that first started y
been on their long journey,